Keeping birds in residential or urban areas
Chickens
If you live in a residential area, you can keep up to six chickens on your property without needing an excess animal permit. You cannot have roosters in residential areas, even with a permit.
Your chickens must:
- be kept in your back yard
- be kept in a coop that is no taller than 2.5m and at least 1.25m from the boundary of your property, unless it is up against a solid fence or building
- not be allowed to roam freely around your back yard
- have enough room to scratch around safely
- have access to food and fresh water.
If you live in an apartment, unit or townhouse, you cannot keep chickens.
Pigeons
If you live in a residential area, you can keep up to ten pigeons on your property without needing an excess animal permit. If you live in an apartment, unit or townhouse, you cannot keep pigeons.
Your pigeons must be kept in a loft at the rear of your property. The loft must be no taller than 2.5m and at least 1.25m from the boundary of your property, unless it is up against a solid fence or building.
You can let your pigeons out for exercise for two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset. The only exception to this is for race pigeon events.
Other birds
If you live in a freestanding house in a residential area, you can keep up to ten small domestic birds like budgies, canaries or finches without needing an excess animal permit. If you live in an apartment, unit or townhouse, you can keep up to three.
If your birds are kept outside, they must be in an aviary in your backyard. Your aviary must be no taller than 2.5m and at least 1.25m from the boundary of your property, unless it is up against a solid fence or building.
Some birds are not permitted in residential areas, even with a permit. This includes:
- any poultry other than chickens (e.g. ducks, turkeys, geese)
- roosters
- peacocks.
If you want to keep large parrots like cockatoos, corellas or galahs on your residential property, you will need to apply for an excess animal permit.
Keeping birds on rural properties
If you live on a rural property, there are no limits to the amount of birds you can keep.
Birds must be kept in a coop, loft or aviary that is no taller than 2.5m and at least 1.25m from the boundary of your property, unless it is up against a solid fence or building.